Arts at St. Andrew's

You'll see him any fine morning, pedalling his way to school at St. Andrew's College. In his mind though, Ryan, 15, may be rehearsing a speech from Shakespeare or a song from the musical Cabaret.

Last year, Ryan discovered he had a talent. "I always wanted to be in a school play," says Ryan, a day boy who lives 15 minutes from the school. And when he finally attended an audition, William Scoular, the head of drama and a director with London and Stratford experience, picked him for the role of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Ryan had found a calling.

His performance in the highly professional production, which is one of the major events in the school year, was judged outstanding. "Now it (the stage) is a passion," Ryan says. "I love anything I can do on the stage. I love the adrenaline rush at the curtain call."

St. Andrew's College is known for its sports teams, as well as academics, "but the arts are a big part of the scene here," says art teacher Randi Berman. No complaints here about a shortage of arts materials: "Here we have the facilities and the chance to use all sorts of media-sculpture, print making, photo shop, ceramics."

As for Ryan, he says he thinks about a career on the stage-although he still feels a pull to be a lawyer. On the physical side, he's a cross-country runner, Nordic skier and has joined the school's new triathlon program.